VikingReviews of viking.com

Booked a year in advance and already 2 ports advertised for the itinerary changed to much less known places. No compensation or care from Viking. Got insurance so we are seriously considering cancelling and getting back what we can. However, from all of the reviews we've read that is very difficult with this cruise line even with insurance and there are additional fees even with insurance. From what we read along with our experience thus far, we fear the excursions and or extensions will be more bait and switch and their response will again be...to bad so sad for you. But, that's our policy.

I have tried everything to stop Viking Cruises from sending me physical mail — five phone calls, multiple emails, and even trying their so-called “unsubscribe” system through CatalogChoice. CatalogChoice requires login credentials and an extra setup process just to request removal — it’s a hoop they force you to jump through. It should be as simple as clicking “unsubscribe” on their website, but it isn’t. The mail keeps coming no matter how many times I ask. It feels intentional and predatory — like they’ve designed a system where you can never truly get off their marketing list.

Recently we did the Danube Budapest to Bucharest river cruise. We initially raised concerns to Viking about our flight schedules with Air France and KLM but assured by Viking all would be good. Two flights late and two flights cancelled. The two rescheduled flight were then also late. Viking abdicated all accountability despite booking and recommending the airlines, as they appear to have a strategic alliance with them. But even worse, on the way out to meet our cruise we were late into Paris, but fortunately the connecting flight to Budapest was also late allowing us to make the transfer. However Air France decided as our flight into Paris was late they would not send our bags on the connecting flight. We were therefore without luggage for the hotel phase of our so called 5 star holiday. The Viking reps were very laid back about our situation and showed negligible empathy. The bulk of the cruise was as expected. Good food and service. However the drinks package for spirits were not as good as our last Viking cruise. However two more issues. I booked a so called hike to the vista of the iron gates. The advertising photo showed a deep gorge. The hike was more like a stroll on a path and the position was nothing like the photos. Viking refuse to do anything as it was bought with onboard credit. The fact the tour is wrongly advertised seems to not matter to them. Finally the last stop in Ruse was cancelled apparently for water levels despite the river being full. A poor explanation on the ship and reorganisation of tours etc. Viking could not explain how often this happens and hide behind operational small print. We then stoped at a ferry crossing upriver with nothing in the area other than derelict factories and stray dogs making any land based activities other than tours possible. The final transfer to Bucharest was now a 3+ hour bus trip rather than 1 hour with a comfort stop in a petrol station! This is 5 star service? My letter of complaint has been effectively rejected by Viking with an offer of a future cruise discount. Do they really think I will use Viking again?

My husband and I were booked on a Viking tour down the Danube in late September. We did not buy their insurance. Unfortunately 2 weeks before the cruise, I was diagnosed with an eye condition that required immediate surgery. A gas bubble was inseryed into my eye and if you fly with that, you risk your eye exploding. There was no choice, I couldnt go. Viking was able to rebook my room to someone else, so essentially they received double payment on the room. I am not asking for our money back, just a credit, as it was a fairly substantial amount. All Viking would give me was the run around—- you should have bought the insurance! This is just bad business since they received double the amount for the room. I will NEVER book with Viking again. They are a low class cruise line with bad policies. There are so many better choices on better cruise lines. They nickel and dime you to death, and make you pay a year in advance. Please look elsewhere. This company is no good!

This was our first River cruise which my wife and I planned to take in retirement. We arrived in Amsterdam and we were greeted at the airport by a Viking representative who escorted our group to the Viking bus to the ship. Our luggage was tagged with Viking supplied tags and loaded onto the bus by Viking reps and bus driver. We arrived at the ship and were told our luggage would be delivered to our room. Upon getting to our room we noticed one of our bags was missing. We were told it probably was delivered to the wrong room and would show up eventually. It never did show up with half our clothes missing. Unfortunately, this cast a shadow on the rest of our trip. Viking contacted us after the trip and offered a small credit on a future trip but we would be hesitant to use them again. We were treated well by the staff and crew and the experience would have been excellent except for this unfortunate situation.

Terrible company, they have no respect for people.

Viking Helgrim cruise on the beautiful Douro. I’ll start at the end, we left the overcrowded ship, where we were packed in like Portuguese sardines in the dining room,(one lunch and dinner sitting only) and standing room only in the only lounge during briefings, listening to people coughing and speaking about partners staying in their rooms as they were ill, and after taking a test on getting home, (eventually) we discovered we had Covid, (we wore masks all the way home even though we didn’t know it was Covid), we were very ill and still suffering now! This was a treat for my 70th birthday, we paid for a top stateroom AA, with a lounge, separate bedroom, and full veranda plus the Silver Drinks Package, came out at over £20,000! Never been on a cruise before, thought this would be a calm and casual way to try it, Viking spoke of having a library, HA!behind the grand piano in the lounge was a bookshelf, so only one indoor gathering point. We were flown by TAP airlines, Air Portugal, and before we left the UK I did query why we had two flights home from Porto where the ship would disembark us, Porto to Lisbon and Lisbon to Manchester. I was told in an email that Porto was a small provincial airport and that there weren’t international flights from there, a downright lie, when we were at the airport, not only is it far from small or provincial in fact it’s one of the best we’ve been in, and we’ve been in a few as our work required us to fly overseas, there were dozens of international flights leaving from there. So we arrived in Lisbon on Sunday and our first two days were at the Corinthia Hotel a beautiful hotel, but we were booked as bed and breakfast, I queried this and was told that Viking had been told by passengers that they like to dine out in Lisbon so hence the B & B! But it’s an all inclusive booking, what if you didn’t want to dine away from the hotel, which we didn’t? Surely an allowance could be put onto your room, use it or don’t? Always things done to the convenience and cost saving to Viking. So on Tuesday we were put on a coach at 8am, (up at 6:30 so we could breakfast and put our luggage out for it’s to be put on the coach), for what was a 3hr 20 drive to Porto, or should have been a 3hr 20 drive to Porto, but no, there was and I can only put it like this, an enforced visit to Coimbra, just over 2hrs away from Lisbon and about 1hr and 20mins from Porto. Coimbra, a lovely place, but up at 6:30, we wanted to get on board and relax, we’d other excursions booked. Now, as we paid for the AA Stateroom we were told that we could board the ship at 12, but no, even though Viking could have put those of us that wanted to and had paid to go straight to the ship onto a smaller coach, we were made to stay with the excursion. I know this sounds like we think we are privileged, but we really did push the boat out on this one, (no pun intended) and did expect to get all we highly paid for. We got to the Helgrim at 4:30pm. Our stateroom looked great, the veranda small but had two chairs and a small table and was on deck 3 the ultimate deck for cabins, the aircon in the bedroom was unusable as it was so noisy, we reported but nothing happened. First briefing in the very cramped lounge, with all passengers there people were standing. This was where there were talks, demonstrations and briefings, evening entertainment with the resident musician, dancing etc, oh and also the “library!” Also known as a bookshelf at the back of the grand piano,so no quiet areas on board! dinner at 7:30pm only one sitting so all together in the dining room, quite snug. Crew in there were lovely, we were always served by Andy, a great guy, made us feel very welcome, the food was very good, the chef calls around the dining room and asks your opinion, again a lovely guy. We didn’t join the entertainment lecture in the lounge, we were knackered after our early start, and as there was no other place to go other than on deck which was a little chilly we went to our stateroom. The in house on demand movies was a bit of a joke, think there was about 7 or 8 films, one of which was the Sound of Music? Live TV was CNN and another American news channel, (predominantly American passengers), the entire series of Downton Abbey, Americans apparently can’t get enough of that, we heard this from Americans, and there was a documentary. How many films can you get on an airplane? We went to bed. At just before 6:30 we were awakened by the most god awful noise, bloody amazingly loud, additional to that was the vibration. This the day after too, and on other days. Our veranda was unusable on some days due to being berthed inches from other ships, even though this was one of the things that made the stateroom so expensive. We avoided the lounge, it was a plague pit. There other things wrong I could go on given space. We notified the Prog Director and C S re Covid, no reply, crew has Covid!

Recently had a 2 week Med cruise from Venice to Barcelona on Viking Sea. On embarkation and while waiting for the room to be ready we opted for the ship familiarisation walk around. This was led by an individual who packed a 15 minute walk around into 90 minutes during which he used the word 'Viking' 100 times - all a bit much. The good stuff - Ship is spotless, you will not find a speck of dust anywhere. Cabin similarly kept in immaculate condition. The 'hotel' crew, particularly the Philippino contingent are excellent, polite and efficient. The ship is cool (in both senses) relaxing and comfortable. There is a relaxed and uncrowded atmosphere and plenty of quiet and comfortable places to relax in. Room service meals available any time and breakfast in your cabin (sorry Stateroom) as you wish and at no extra charge. Food quality though is generally good but varies a bit and for some reason they don't seem able prepare any sort of meat well. Chewy steaks, fish and even chicken is the norm. Maybe they are supplied with cheaper cuts. Overall the food tends to be rather bland, perhaps catering more for the American market. The food although acceptable would not come near UK 5 star status. Shore trips are well organised as are embarkation and disembarkation, transfers etc. In common with many cruise lines they tend to leave port late afternoon or early evening - not ideal in the Med. where towns are just coming alive after siesta time. On board entertainment - A good Philippino band of the type experienced travellers will have seen in hotels worldwide. A pair playing classic music in the Atrium - good but boring. And so called Vocalists - terrible and best avoided. There was a closing show which featured only the 'Cruise Director' singing. So awful it was embarrassing to witness. At the end of the trip the same Cruise Director led some of the key hotel staff on stage and flipped into cheerleader mode endlessly chanting 'Viking, Viking Viking .... and expecting the passengers to join in. A toe curlingly yuckie and cheap end to the cruise. Maybe the Americans, who seemed to be the majority of passengers, like that kind of thing. In summary then - ship great, service great, excursions good, food average, entertainment best avoided. Would I go with Viking again? Quite possibly. p.s. Noticed several comments about onshore Viking booking and payment services, maybe based in various countries. My experience of buying the cruise in the UK was excellent with no problems.